Back in the early 90s, when I was graduating out of my diapers and into shorts, Sennheiser took the audio world by storm with an engineering masterpiece that exceeded all previous ideas about the performance limitations of headphones. It was named after a legendary Greek musician and poet.
Much like the Greek musician, it is nearly extint; only 300 were ever made and each was sold at $16,000. Today, they can fetch over $30,000 on eBay. They came with their own tube amplifiers and were the definition of old school cool. The product became an icon of the audio industry, coveted by audiophiles around the world and was recognized as the best headphones in the world – until now.
On Tuesday, Sennheiser announced a successor for their spectacular headphone and much like its predecessor it has quite the price tag, retailing at around $55,000. The new headphone (currently named HE 1060) is presented as a new high-end headphone that offers an unprecedented audio experience. The electrostatic headphone system combines to perfection the most innovative technology with carefully selected, luxurious materials and highest quality craftsmanship. A masterpiece that much like its predecessor has an absurd price: the high-end headphones, which will be hand-crafted in Germany from next year onwards, will cost around €50,000. Most expensive headphones in the world, check.
“With the new headphone, we once again push the boundaries and show that we can repeatedly set new benchmarks in excellence and with that shape the future of the audio world. It is able to deceive our senses in a completely unique way, creating the perfect illusion of being directly immersed in the sound.”
– Sennheiser CEO Daniel Sennheiser
Even the slightest nuances of the music become audible. Alongside star producer Steve Levine, Grammy award-winner Gregory Porter was one of the first to be invited to an exclusive listening trial.
“When I record my own music, I always try to convey my emotions. I don’t know how exactly, but these headphones really do succeed in getting those emotions across,”
– Gregory Porter
To make this possible, a team of Sennheiser experts spent almost a decade continuously working against the limits of what is technically possible – and once again created the best headphones in the world. The headphone uses an innovative amplifier concept that combines to perfection the advantages of a tube amplifier with those of a transistor amplifier. “I am very proud of this absolutely exceptional product,” said Sennheiser CEO Dr. Andreas Sennheiser. “The headphone stands for the innovative power of our company and our joint commitment to the pursuit of perfect sound.”
